Lakeview Generating Station, 2005

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This project is a morphological study of the first of Ontario's dirty coal fired power plants to be permanently shut down for environmental reasons.

 

The 2400 megawatt Lakeview Generating Station was located on the shore of Lake Ontario in Mississauga, 18 kilometers west of downtown Toronto. It was opened by Ontario Hydro in 1962 and operated until April, 2005. These photos were taken between April and June, 2005.

 

With an operating staff of more than 600, Lakeview was representative of a type of power plant that can be found in many countries around the world. The power house had the archetypal form: a long, open machine hall for the turbines, with a higher space beside it housing the boilers and coal handling machinery. Four monumental chimneys, known locally as the "Four Sisters," completed the ensemble.

 

The Wikipedia Entry on the Lakeview Station describes the demolition of its chimneys on June 12, 2006:

 

The “Four Sisters" were successfully imploded by Murray Demolition LP, in order of east to west, falling to the east with a stack toppling every 4 seconds. Over a thousand spectators came to a nearby park to observe the demolition. Helicopters filled the sky, each taking footage of the event.

 

Coal fired power generation in Ontario ended definitively in 2014. My photos are intended as a record of this technology, which was developed in the 20th century to take advantage of a cheap and abundant fuel, one whose environmental costs have now become undeniable.

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